A cookie bakerÂ?s new best friend

December 05, 2008|Tribune staff report

This would make a great Christmas gift for the baker you know, although they might be a little mad at you for waiting until after the cookies have been baked.

The BeaterBlade+ (New Metro Design, $24.99, $29.95 or $39.95, depending on which mixer you have) looks like the flat beater attachment on a stand mixer, but comes with an added Â?why-didnÂ?t-I-think-of-thatÂ? twist: The blade has rubber squeegees along its edges that eliminate the classic baking instruction Â?scrape sides of bowl when necessary.Â?

We tested it on cookie dough, bread dough (before the dough hook step) and pies and it performed as promised. It is also dishwasher safe.

The BeaterBlade+ comes in three designs that fit KitchenAid stand mixers and one that fits Cuisinart, DeLonghi and Viking stand mixers. We tested the KA-5L on a KitchenAid 5-quart lift mixer.

If you havenÂ?t gotten elbow deep in Christmas cookie dough yet, or even if you have, you may want to give this gadget a try.

The KitchenAid model can be bought locally at Village Variety, 24856 County Road 40, Goshen. The KitchenAid and Cuisinart/DeLonghi/Viking models can be bought at the Cooking With Class online store at www.cookingwithclassmichiana.com. Also look online at Crate & Barrel and other national retailers.